Bonifacio medina s anturio



(No Model.)

B. M. SANTURIO.

FILTER.

L G H iii/M57030):

Patented. Sept. 6, 1892.

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Mam

a., WKSHINGTKIN D c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BONIFAOIO MEDINA SANTURIO, -OF BUENOS AYRES, ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

FILTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,140, dated September 6, 1892.

Application filed November 7, 1891. $erial1l'c. 411,187. (No model.) Patented in France October 3. 1889, No. 201,089; in Argentine Republic November 19, 1889, No. 823, and in England June 17, 1891, No. 10,314.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BONIFACIO MEDINA SANTURIO, a citizen of the Argentine Republic, residing at Buenos Ayres, in the said Republic, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Filters, (for which I have obtained Letters Patentin France, No. 201,089, bearing date October 3, 1889; in the Argentine Republic, No. 823, bearing date November 19, 1889, and in Great Britain,No.10,314., bearing date June 17,1891,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to what are known as earthenware filters; audit consists principally in an improved construction of permeable vessel for filtering the liquid and means for automatically cleansing the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in front elevation, part of the inclosing case being broken away, a filter c011- structed according to the mode in which I prefer to carry out my invention, Fig. 2 being a vertical section on the line 2 2. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, parts being broken away, of the support and the central tube. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4, Fig. 1, 2 being a similar section on the line 5 5,

A is an earthenware or other vessel consisting of a cylinder at, surrounded by a helical tube a the cylinder and the tube being made integrally with each other. For convenience of construction the vessel is preferably made in several lengths, three being shown by way of example. The various lengths are united to one another at the joints 1) b by cement or otherwise. In cross-section the tube a is triangular, as seen in Fig. 2. The various convolutions of the tube a are united by webs a. The vessel is mounted on a perforated base 0. The top of the vessel is terminated by a conical ring a cemented or otherwise fastened on at the joint I) b. Upon this ring is placed a cap D, with a domeshaped top. The joint between the ring and the cap is made with a washer, e of leather or other suitable substance. An annular jointpiece E is placed inside against the joint to keep the cap D concentric with the ring a the washer e projecting inwardly from the joint and entering a groove in the joint-piece.

The inlet F is in the support F, which fits into the perforation in the base 0. The support also contains an outlet F for use in automatically cleansing the filter. The inlet F, in order to save space, partially surrounds the cleansing-outlet F as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

The main parts of the filter are held together by a tube G. The lower end of this tube is screwed into the support F, the upper end passing through a hole in the dome of the cap and being furnished with a nut G. The joints are packed with washers e and 6 of leather or other substance, and are kept tight by the screwing down of the nut G, a metal washer 6* being placed between the nut and the washer beneath it. The upper end of the tube is provided with slots g, (see Fig. 3,) so as to afford communication with the interior of the cap D and the cleansing outlet F to which the tube G leads. The slotted part of the tube is surrounded by a cylindrical grating G which is slipped over the tube (before the cap is applied) and is supported by a flange g. The outlet 0' for the filtered liquid is made in the perforated base 0. Abell-shaped cover H is placed over the vessel A and cap D and bears against a packing-ring e on the upper edge of the base 0. The top of the cover contains a perforation for the reception of the screw-threaded pin G which projects from and is made integrally with the top of the nut G. A nut H is screwed down on the pin against a packing-ring e on the cover, thus holding the cover securely. A metal washer e is placed between the nut II and the ring e. The annular space between the outer surface of the tube G and the inner surface of the cylinder at is filled or nearly filled with sand K or equivalent substance. The top F of the support F, which constitutes the bottom of the annular space, is inclined so as to direct the sand K in its descent from the annular space toward the inlet F. The inlet is covered by a grating f, which prevents the escape of the sand or other cleansing material and arrests any gross impurities which may be contained in the liquid to be filtered.

The action of the apparatus is as follows: 100 In the normal working of the filter the cleansing-outlet F is closed. At startingitis,how-

ever, partially opened until the air in the apparatus is expelled. The liquid entering at the inlet F is forced into the helical tube a", the annular space containing the cleansing material K and the cap D. The liquid escapes by percolating through the lower and permeable side of the helical tube a and is thus filtered, the upper side of the tube being preferably impermeable. The cap D and other parts of the filter are also impermeable. The upper side of the helical tube is made impermeable because the grains of sand K do not have such a cleansing ettect thereon as on the lower side, which is kept clean, as hereinafter explained, by the sand, and is therefore particularly suitable for use as the filtering medium. The filtered liquid fiows to the base 0, in which there is an annular groove o conduct it to the outlet 0'. The cover H events the contamination by dust or other matter of the filtered liquid.

When it is desired to cleanse the filter, the cleansing-outlet F is opened. Liquid from the inlet F thereupon flows strongly upward through the helical tube a", inward through the cylindrical grating G2 and the slots 9 in the central tube G, and thence downward and out through the cleansing outlet F The stream immediately before entering the helical tube a meets the sand escaping from the annular space K and carries the same along with it into and through the helical tube a the grains rubbing against the internal surface of the said tube, and particularly against the lower Wall of the passage, or that wallthrough which filtration takes place. By these means impurities which may have become deposited are dislodged and pass away with the wash-out water, the escape of the sand being, however, prevented by the grating G surrounding the slots When the cleansing-outlet is again closed, the grains of sand in the cap D drop directly into the annular space K. Much of the sand falls into such space and is used again and again as the cleansing proceeds.

Instead of forcing the liquid through the filtering medium, it may, if preferred, be sucked through by an exhaust-pump. The movement may be also reversed in direction. In this case the cover H becomes a vacuumchamber. In cleansing the filter under these conditions liquid is drawn through the cleansing-outlet F by suction.

This apparatus can be easily sterilized by admitting superheated steam or antiseptic solution to the space between the interior of the cover H and the exterior of the vessel A.

The design illustrated in the accompanying drawings is intended to serve as an example of a mode in which my invention may be carried into effect; but it will be obvious that the details of construction shown may be varied without affecting the principle of operation employed.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a filter, the permeable helical tube a", formed integral with the cylinder A, which it surrounds, and adapted to serve as herein set forth.

2. In a filter, the combination, with the upright cylindrical vessel A and the cap D on its upper end, of the base 0 under that vessel, the supportF under and partially within the said base, the central tube G, and the concentric grating G arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a filter, the combination, with a vessel A, formed with a permeable helical tube a of a sand-reservoir K, a passage for leading sand therefrom into the current entering the helical tube, and an opening for allowing the sand to return to the sandreservoir for reuse in scouring the filtering surfaces, substan' tially as set forth.

BONIFACIO MEDINA SANTURIO.

\Vi tnesses:

FRANK. DAY, PEREGRINE VARNALS. 

